Well, it's May, and the "Where do you prefer to read my stories" has closed. Thank you to the six (6?) folks who voted; it seems like the majority of you (6!) prefer to read my stories at bonusparts.com. I suppose that means I need to figure out an easy way that readers can leave feedback about the story if they choose, since the only option right now is to send me an email directly. Perhaps some sort of forum solution...? (If you have a good idea about this, please let me know!)
Chapter 62 ("Precious Mistakes") went up the second week in April, and while it didn't get a lot of traffic or comments (yet, anyway...though I average about 4-6 comments per chapter, so I'm not really expecting more), what feedback I did get was positive, which is always nice, especially since it's one of those "slower" chapters.
One author whose work I enjoy wrote about the love hotel Club Escapade, where the Investigation Team stays during their trip to Port Island in the game. It's a funny location, and can lead to lots of interesting situations, but I wanted to take a look at love hotels from a different perspective: not as a source of derision or eye-rolling, but someplace where a couple might really enjoy going, just to get some private time away from it all.
Finding the time to indulge in their baser desires is not a huge issue for my protagonists (because while they've got the equivalent of a 10-year-old girl sleeping in the room next door, it's still another room, and even if they do get a little energetic, it hasn't adversely affected Kuma any), but they also don't have the luxury of getting it on at any time of day they choose. (They do have jobs, after all.) So I wanted to show readers that love hotels - the right love hotels - can be pretty sweet, romantic places, after all.
I enjoyed doing the research for this one, too. :) Perusing information sites and many "rabuho" guest rooms and check-in counters was a fascinating eye-opener into a country and society where privacy is so highly valued, yet there's so very little of it to be had on a day-to-day basis.
I also wanted to take the opportunity of having Chie lead Yousuke in a way we haven't seen before: it's a gentle moment between them that's about intimacy - not just sex - and I wanted her to have the same kind of conversation about past romances that he had in Chapter 61 ("The Way It Is; or, Inertia"). It isn't about her asserting her dominance in a sexual situation; it's about her coming to him as an equal, giving of herself and looking for his acceptance. While it is a sex scene at its core, it's really meant to be much more than that.
I'm working on Chapter 63 right now (in between making pretty, shiny drawings over at deviantART), and it's making me a little bit sad that this story is coming to a close. But the bulk of the story has been moving toward these last moments, and I hope that you'll enjoy them.
You know, all six of you.
Showing posts with label sex. Show all posts
Showing posts with label sex. Show all posts
01 May 2011
21 August 2010
Souji, Kuma, and the Lament of Het-Supporters
Here's a comment that came in from regular reviewer Kisdota-The Freak Gamer, regarding Chapter 59 ("A Little Night Music"); I thought I'd share part of my reply. Some spoilers through Chapter 59, so if you want to read, you'll have to highlight below.
Q:...It's nice to read a chapter that doesn't have Souji being a total douche.
Pairing up everyone like that was good, I know that there's some people who like the idea of Rise with Teddie, I know she's a chick and that's not what you implied but I know you'll do good with alot [sic] of the straight couple fans, which is possibly a small portion of your readers....
A: Well, Souji kind of had to be a douche for a while there - hubris is his sin - in order for him to grow into the person that you're starting to see in this chapter. He still plays a large mentor/leader role for the characters coming up, but it's a position that he moves into more organically after facing his Shadow, rather than the others just falling into place behind him for sake of ease. I like writing this Souji, who's become a product of the people around him, equally influenced by their perspectives and experiences as they are by him. Hopefully, that comes out clearly in this chapter.
I didn't intentionally put the characters into pairs, actually. It just sort of happened. Rise and Kuma's bond of friendship becomes important to Kuma's development later on, as the story moves forward (though not for a while yet; I still have to get through the first sequel). There's no intended implication that Rise and Kuma are acting as a couple, here; I tried to convey that with the farewells at the train station. Rise's really more a mentor to her, than anything else. And Yousuke's reluctance to let Kuma grow up should be taken as just how childlike she still is.
You're right that I do often feel in the minority supporting a heterosexual couple(s) in my timeline. I don't have a problem with the slash stories, I just don't see most of the friendships and relationships working out that way. Even Kanji, Naoto, and Rise - none of whom have a problem with homosexuality - fall into a category of their own rather than being one way or the other.
- - -
There's really not a question here, but I find it interesting when readers decide to focus on an aspect of a character (like Souji), who I've tried to move into a growth position based on what has occurred to him over the course of the story. I realize that what I did through the chapters of the final arc/Part IV ("I'll Face Myself") rubbed some readers the wrong way, but in all honesty it was in many ways it was just as much about how Chie and her friends reacted to the situation as it was about what was going on with Souji.
Then there's the subject of Kuma.
I'm plotting the sequel story now (both of them, as I've considered my timeline to work best as a trilogy in order to touch on the three important characters whose voices I know best), and I cannot for the life of me see my Kuma/Kumada-chan as anything other than a girl. My original plan for Kuma oh-so long ago was for her/him to be something completely different at the outset. Kuma will still get to step into that role (as things are currently plotted, of course - we all know how that can change!), but I don't think that my alternate universe of Persona 4 will ever be quite the same for changing Kuma's gender to a female. I love her so much that way, though, that I just can't stomach changing her back to a boy, as much as others might want me to stay true to what the canon story is about.
And then there's the issue of the sexuality. The sequel story investigates the characters' sexuality a bit more, since the characters by that time will be around 25, more established in their lives, and less - shall we say - purely experimental. I'm looking forward to tackling those kinds of issues, especially as they relate to young adults and what they think is "proper", "right", "acceptable", and even just plain "me."
I'm still collecting feedback on the latest chapter, and I'm always interested to hear what readers think. Not as much for Chapter 59 yet, but it's got to be more about my feelings, right?
Q:...It's nice to read a chapter that doesn't have Souji being a total douche.
Pairing up everyone like that was good, I know that there's some people who like the idea of Rise with Teddie, I know she's a chick and that's not what you implied but I know you'll do good with alot [sic] of the straight couple fans, which is possibly a small portion of your readers....
A: Well, Souji kind of had to be a douche for a while there - hubris is his sin - in order for him to grow into the person that you're starting to see in this chapter. He still plays a large mentor/leader role for the characters coming up, but it's a position that he moves into more organically after facing his Shadow, rather than the others just falling into place behind him for sake of ease. I like writing this Souji, who's become a product of the people around him, equally influenced by their perspectives and experiences as they are by him. Hopefully, that comes out clearly in this chapter.
I didn't intentionally put the characters into pairs, actually. It just sort of happened. Rise and Kuma's bond of friendship becomes important to Kuma's development later on, as the story moves forward (though not for a while yet; I still have to get through the first sequel). There's no intended implication that Rise and Kuma are acting as a couple, here; I tried to convey that with the farewells at the train station. Rise's really more a mentor to her, than anything else. And Yousuke's reluctance to let Kuma grow up should be taken as just how childlike she still is.
You're right that I do often feel in the minority supporting a heterosexual couple(s) in my timeline. I don't have a problem with the slash stories, I just don't see most of the friendships and relationships working out that way. Even Kanji, Naoto, and Rise - none of whom have a problem with homosexuality - fall into a category of their own rather than being one way or the other.
- - -
There's really not a question here, but I find it interesting when readers decide to focus on an aspect of a character (like Souji), who I've tried to move into a growth position based on what has occurred to him over the course of the story. I realize that what I did through the chapters of the final arc/Part IV ("I'll Face Myself") rubbed some readers the wrong way, but in all honesty it was in many ways it was just as much about how Chie and her friends reacted to the situation as it was about what was going on with Souji.
Then there's the subject of Kuma.
I'm plotting the sequel story now (both of them, as I've considered my timeline to work best as a trilogy in order to touch on the three important characters whose voices I know best), and I cannot for the life of me see my Kuma/Kumada-chan as anything other than a girl. My original plan for Kuma oh-so long ago was for her/him to be something completely different at the outset. Kuma will still get to step into that role (as things are currently plotted, of course - we all know how that can change!), but I don't think that my alternate universe of Persona 4 will ever be quite the same for changing Kuma's gender to a female. I love her so much that way, though, that I just can't stomach changing her back to a boy, as much as others might want me to stay true to what the canon story is about.
And then there's the issue of the sexuality. The sequel story investigates the characters' sexuality a bit more, since the characters by that time will be around 25, more established in their lives, and less - shall we say - purely experimental. I'm looking forward to tackling those kinds of issues, especially as they relate to young adults and what they think is "proper", "right", "acceptable", and even just plain "me."
I'm still collecting feedback on the latest chapter, and I'm always interested to hear what readers think. Not as much for Chapter 59 yet, but it's got to be more about my feelings, right?
17 August 2010
Christmas has come early!
I just finished the (hopefully) final read-through and edit of Chapter 59 ("A Little Night Music"), to be posted tomorrow. This one took me almost as long to work through as Chapter 57 ("Nightmare"), with everything that needed to be written, moved, edited, cut, and reworked, from first draft to final. But I'm pretty pleased with it, regardless of what reviewers might come back and say.
First of all, the chronological setting of the story is no haphazard choice. Christmas in Japan is all about romance (unlike the Western traditions), so I've used that setting to broach the last big subject in the story. There's not much that I haven't planned in this monster, right down to what needs to happen on what day. I hope that readers don't gloss over those details...but if they do but still enjoy the story regardless, that's what matters, I suppose.
There's an awful lot of talking in Chapter 59, but as I mention in the Author's Notes (and in the previous blog entry), the conversations are necessary to the progression of the relationships and the story as a whole. It helps that a couple of those conversations are almost verbatim actual experience, but I've used a lot of my own personal life as fodder for this story already, and I feel like I've put so much of myself into Chie as a character, that I couldn't quite resist shuffling some of my life into this latest chapter.
There's also quite a bit of sex in 59, but that, too, is necessary to the plot, at least in its function. I really wanted to address the changes that have occurred between the characters at a sexual level, based on the events of the preceding chapters. These are two people - specifically lovers - who are growing as a couple just as much as they're growing as individuals, and that's important to their intimacy and the way that they relate, both emotionally and sexually.
The talking and the sex in this chapter also leads up to the next logical progression of the relationship, and not just because it's instigated by a circle of friends. Into this, too, I've tried to inject some realism, and some honest feelings. It's crazy and confusing and nerve-wracking for Chie just like it is for a lot of adults. But hopefully I've managed to create some personal humor about it all, too.
You may agree or disagree. I'd like to hear your answers, though, when you get around to reading the latest chapter. :)
First of all, the chronological setting of the story is no haphazard choice. Christmas in Japan is all about romance (unlike the Western traditions), so I've used that setting to broach the last big subject in the story. There's not much that I haven't planned in this monster, right down to what needs to happen on what day. I hope that readers don't gloss over those details...but if they do but still enjoy the story regardless, that's what matters, I suppose.
There's an awful lot of talking in Chapter 59, but as I mention in the Author's Notes (and in the previous blog entry), the conversations are necessary to the progression of the relationships and the story as a whole. It helps that a couple of those conversations are almost verbatim actual experience, but I've used a lot of my own personal life as fodder for this story already, and I feel like I've put so much of myself into Chie as a character, that I couldn't quite resist shuffling some of my life into this latest chapter.
There's also quite a bit of sex in 59, but that, too, is necessary to the plot, at least in its function. I really wanted to address the changes that have occurred between the characters at a sexual level, based on the events of the preceding chapters. These are two people - specifically lovers - who are growing as a couple just as much as they're growing as individuals, and that's important to their intimacy and the way that they relate, both emotionally and sexually.
The talking and the sex in this chapter also leads up to the next logical progression of the relationship, and not just because it's instigated by a circle of friends. Into this, too, I've tried to inject some realism, and some honest feelings. It's crazy and confusing and nerve-wracking for Chie just like it is for a lot of adults. But hopefully I've managed to create some personal humor about it all, too.
You may agree or disagree. I'd like to hear your answers, though, when you get around to reading the latest chapter. :)
31 October 2009
The value of sex
More than once in recent weeks, I've gotten the question of whether or not the sex in "1 More Chance!" is necessary.
On the one hand, the sex garners the story an M rating, which takes it out of the general listing. This no doubt reduces the number of readers who would just stumble across the story on their own, affecting hit statistics and review numbers and general feedback. That's a bad thing.
On the other hand, the sex in the story is central to the way that the two main characters interact. One of my goals is to create a realistic approach that a couple would take to sex: from the initial sexual exploration, through the early tentative and exciting trysts, as well as through the testing of limits and boundaries as each person starts to realize the kind of sexual being they can and want to be, to an examination of acceptance and equality between two partners based on their own desires. That's a good thing. Chie and Yousuke are about halfway to two-thirds in this progression (Chapter 36 posted on 2009 October 28 - link will take you to the Fanfiction.Net version).
On a side note, it is occasionally amusing for me to see how the chapters with the notably more "mature" events seem to be - consistently - more active in terms of statistics. There's not really any outward clue that anyone would have for these events based on chapter title, so I'm guessing that it's mostly past or current readers who have read that particular chapter before and just go back for more.
I recently considered removing the more explicit sexual moments, to bring the story down to a "T" rating. But as I was reading through some of the previous chapters, I found it difficult to take out the sexuality, and not just because those moments are fun to read over again. They're inherently important to the development of the characters' relationship as both friends and lovers. I think that if I were to remove the sex scenes altogether to make the story more youth-friendly, it would change a lot of the nuances of the story itself.
And I'm not certain I'm willing to make that change just for a higher reader count.
Sexuality is integral to the game, as well. Nearly all of the characters' Shadows are linked somehow to the character's sexuality. This is probably most likely because sex and sexual identity are such important parts of a young person's development, no matter what their preference or orientation. [SPOILER - rollover to view] Kanji's ambiguous sexuality in particular, especially given his acceptance of it at the culmination of his Social/Community Link, is notable for its lack of definition, as well as his acceptance of it. When he tells the Protagonist (Seta Souji in my story) that his Shadow is who he is, that articulation speaks volumes for his own sexuality. It's also the reason why the Kanji in "1 More Chance!" is perhaps the most adult of all of the Investigation Team - his sexuality doesn't scare him, anymore. Some other characters aren't so lucky. [END SPOILER]
I'm not going to go back and rewrite all of "1 More Chance!" in a T-rated version just to get myself more readers (though that thought is occasionally very tempting, especially when the feedback flow is slow). But I do have to wonder if readers are willing to accept some real sexuality in their stories, or if they just enjoy the prurient and pointless sex that's sadly too typical in the wide-spanning genre of fanfiction. [EDIT:] There's a third option, of course: that readers don't like sex at all in their stories. (That's a little sad to me, personally, especially in a story that is most definitely centered around a relationship growing between two adults who are romantically and sexually interested in each other...but that's just my opinion.) [END EDIT]
Thoughts? Comments? I'd like to hear them!
On the one hand, the sex garners the story an M rating, which takes it out of the general listing. This no doubt reduces the number of readers who would just stumble across the story on their own, affecting hit statistics and review numbers and general feedback. That's a bad thing.
On the other hand, the sex in the story is central to the way that the two main characters interact. One of my goals is to create a realistic approach that a couple would take to sex: from the initial sexual exploration, through the early tentative and exciting trysts, as well as through the testing of limits and boundaries as each person starts to realize the kind of sexual being they can and want to be, to an examination of acceptance and equality between two partners based on their own desires. That's a good thing. Chie and Yousuke are about halfway to two-thirds in this progression (Chapter 36 posted on 2009 October 28 - link will take you to the Fanfiction.Net version).
On a side note, it is occasionally amusing for me to see how the chapters with the notably more "mature" events seem to be - consistently - more active in terms of statistics. There's not really any outward clue that anyone would have for these events based on chapter title, so I'm guessing that it's mostly past or current readers who have read that particular chapter before and just go back for more.
I recently considered removing the more explicit sexual moments, to bring the story down to a "T" rating. But as I was reading through some of the previous chapters, I found it difficult to take out the sexuality, and not just because those moments are fun to read over again. They're inherently important to the development of the characters' relationship as both friends and lovers. I think that if I were to remove the sex scenes altogether to make the story more youth-friendly, it would change a lot of the nuances of the story itself.
And I'm not certain I'm willing to make that change just for a higher reader count.
Sexuality is integral to the game, as well. Nearly all of the characters' Shadows are linked somehow to the character's sexuality. This is probably most likely because sex and sexual identity are such important parts of a young person's development, no matter what their preference or orientation. [SPOILER - rollover to view] Kanji's ambiguous sexuality in particular, especially given his acceptance of it at the culmination of his Social/Community Link, is notable for its lack of definition, as well as his acceptance of it. When he tells the Protagonist (Seta Souji in my story) that his Shadow is who he is, that articulation speaks volumes for his own sexuality. It's also the reason why the Kanji in "1 More Chance!" is perhaps the most adult of all of the Investigation Team - his sexuality doesn't scare him, anymore. Some other characters aren't so lucky. [END SPOILER]
I'm not going to go back and rewrite all of "1 More Chance!" in a T-rated version just to get myself more readers (though that thought is occasionally very tempting, especially when the feedback flow is slow). But I do have to wonder if readers are willing to accept some real sexuality in their stories, or if they just enjoy the prurient and pointless sex that's sadly too typical in the wide-spanning genre of fanfiction. [EDIT:] There's a third option, of course: that readers don't like sex at all in their stories. (That's a little sad to me, personally, especially in a story that is most definitely centered around a relationship growing between two adults who are romantically and sexually interested in each other...but that's just my opinion.) [END EDIT]
Thoughts? Comments? I'd like to hear them!
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